02-23-2013, 06:26 AM
Havard Wrote:......
Personally I am more in the group that think we should be sharing our ideas freely across the Internet than those who want to make a minuscule profit out of their poor quality adventures. But then there are the people like Raggi and Geoffrey MicKinney and all of those people who make good stuff and create the opportunity for us to pay a bit for those books in order to get illustrated printed versions of them. I guess I can't see much wrong with that either.
-Havard
My impression is that people tend to think of free or pay as one or the other but not both for philosophical reasons, but I favor a more Neutral position. (pun intended) Free stuff, when it's simple or when it's "fair use" material, makes a lot of sense; Maps and tables, monsters and items, short scenarios, guides, sample and "no art" copies and so forth.
Bigger projects though, like a full scale adventure, setting or rulebook, are a different kettle of fish. And here is the thing, free products tend to be used and valued at what they cost. In other words, products that cost nothing don't usually generate much respect. There's no commitment from the "purchaser" and quite possibly the feeling that, since it is free, it might be flawed or outdated or otherwise not up to snuff. So by putting a price on something, you are saying to the purchaser - hey this has special value, consider how you will use it. There's also the cost coverage aspect and the idea of funding of an ongoing enterprise - as is certainly the situation in Raggi's case.